The invention relates to a method for assignment of a selectable option to an actuating means, according to the precharacterizing clause of claim 1.
In systems having one or more electrical or electronic appliances, in which more setting or control functions are provided than there are actuating means for this purpose, one actuating means is normally assigned two or more functions which can then be carried out by means of an appropriate operating modality. If, for example in the case of a motor vehicle radio, only one rocker switch or jog dial is provided to adjust the loudness and the balance, then an assignment button is normally provided in order to adjust the two variables, so that the loudness is adjusted when the rocker controller is pressed once, and the balance is adjusted when it is pressed twice.
A problematic feature of this type of assignment of a control function to an actuating means arises when a large number of control functions have to be assigned to one or a small number of actuating means.
In the case of one known control system (DE 196 08 869 C2), a voice control device is provided, using which a control function which can be selected from a large number of control functions can be assigned to an operating means which can be controlled manually. To this end, the voice control device is activated by pressing the operating means so that the user can select the desired control function by means of an appropriate predefined voice command, and the desired control function is then assigned to the operating means by the voice control device. If the operating means is then operated by the user, then the signals produced by the operating means are passed via the voice control device, for example via a data bus, to the appropriate appliance that is to be controlled. Feedback relating to the selected control function and the appropriately set function values may in this case be provided by touch, visually or audibly via voice output means.
Furthermore, a voice control system is already known (EP 0 078 016 B1) in which an operating button can be assigned a control function by means of a voice command, once it has been pressed. In this case, the operating button is connected via appropriate switch means to an appliance which is to be controlled, in order to carry out the selected control function. Once the setting or adjustment process has been completed, the operating button ceases to have the assigned operating function once a predetermined time has passed.
The invention is based on the object of providing a further method for assignment of a selectable option to an actuating means, which method, in particular, makes it easier for a user to select an option to be assigned, and thus simplifies the process of controlling a corresponding system having a plurality of electrical or electronic appliances, via only a small number of actuating means.
This object is achieved by the method according to claim 1. Advantageous refinements of the invention are described in the dependent claims.
The invention thus provides, for a method of the type mentioned initially, that, once the voice-aided control device has been activated, only those selectable options which are currently available can be announced. The use of the method according to the invention in a system having a plurality of electrical or electronic appliances makes it considerably easier for the user to control the various appliances, since he or she has the option, by virtue of the announcement of the respective selectable options (that is to say, for example, the selectable appliances) or, as soon as an appliance is selected, the announcement of the available functions for whose selection one available function can be supported. Since only the respective currently available selection options are announced in the announcement, the announcement can be kept short and clear.
A first refinement of the invention provides for the capability to activate the voice-aided control device by means of a voice command which starts the continuous announcement of those selectable options which are currently available, in which case a selectable option which is currently available is selected by means of a selection voice command, which is spoken immediately after the announcement of the desired option. In this way, a specific control function can be assigned to an actuating means just by voice commands.
However, in order to ensure reliable assignment of a control function to an actuating means even in a noisy environment, it is possible, in addition to or instead of the option for making the selection by a voice command, to provide for a selectable option which is currently available to be selected by means of an actuating signal from the relevant actuating means, which is operated immediately after the announcement of the desired option.
In order to give a practised user the option of carrying out assignment of a control function to the actuating means independently of the announcement, it is expedient if a selectable option which is currently available can be selected by speaking a designation which is assigned to the desired option, at any time, independently of the announcement of the selectable options which are currently available.
Another refinement of the invention is distinguished by a selectable option which is currently available being selected by successive operation of the relevant actuating means, in which case, once the voice-aided control device has been activated by a first operation of the actuating means, each further operation of the actuating means is assessed as selection of the respective next selectable option. In this case, it is advantageous if, after each operation of the actuating means, the option selected by this operation is announced.
In order to make it possible to dispense with the inputting of a special assignment signal in this case, it is particularly expedient for a selected option to be assigned to the actuating means once a predetermined time has passed since the last operation of the actuating means.
One advantageous development of the invention is distinguished in that once an option has been assigned to an actuating means, this assignment can be cancelled by operating the actuating means again or by an appropriate voice command. This makes it possible to correct an incorrectly made assignment of a control function to an actuating means.
Another advantageous correction option is provided if, once an option has been assigned to an actuating means, this assignment can be changed by operating the actuating means again and simultaneously speaking a designation which is assigned to another desired selectable option which is currently available.